The goal of this project is to develop innovative image compression techniques to make the digital storage, archiving, and communication of cytogenetics images much more efficient and faster, thereby significantly reducing the storage and transfer costs of digital cytogenetics imaging instruments in clinical diagnosis and in genetics and cancer research. Our approach takes advantage that, for mostcytogenetics images, the regions of interest to cytogeneticists are well determined and segmented before storage. The recently developed wavelet-based arbitrary region of support (AROS) coding approach offers an effective means of region-segmented image compression, and promises significant improvement over currently available techniques. In Phase 1 we will study the feasibility of wavelet-based AROS compression of monochrome cytogenetics images. We will evaluate in terms of compression ratios, compression gains, coding speed, and error resilience on test images including 0-banding chromosome spreads and karyotypes, FISH and cDNA images. If the proposed approach can effect a significant improvement, in Phase 2 the technique will be extended to and tested on multispectral FISH/M-FISH and cDNA microarray images. When fully developed, the new technology will be made available to Applied Imaging (AIC) for integration into the PowerGene cytogenetics automation products. This will result in far more cost-effective commercial instruments. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: As soon as the new techniques are developed and qualified for routine application, they will be made available to AIC for incorporation into the PowerGene product line of cytogenetics automation equipment, both in new systems sold and as an upgrade to existing systems already in use in cytogenetics labs, thus commercializing the technology quickly.